They may start from some scribbled notes. Or from a dream. Or perhaps from a concerted effort to write a hit.

Original songs are personal, which can make performing them a fingernail-nibbling exercise.

That’s OK, says Jay Gottlieb. He — and Liza Sparks — are here to help as co-managers for the new Vallejo chapter of West Coast Songwriters.

“We understand that it takes a lot of heart, a lot of soul and a lot of courage to stand up here and compete with other singer/songwriters with judges listening to you,” Gottlieb said.

Monday night’s unveiling at the Empress Theatre — Vallejo hosts a contest every second Monday of each month — brought out 17 acts trying out their own stuff, much to Gottlieb’s glee.

“This is fabulous,” he said of the turnout. “It’s beyond my expectations. This is wonderful.”

At previous debuts — Gottlieb co-manages West Coast Songwriter chapters in Napa and Petaluma — there may be a handful of performers and barely a few general audience members.

At the Empress in downtown Vallejo, however, around 50 people were in the audience.

“At the other ‘first nights,’ there were 10, 12 people,” Gottlieb said. “This is wonderful.”

Sparks agreed.

“Overall, it went fantastic,” she said. “I loved every minute of it.”

Sparks, a performer herself, appreciated the dedication of the musicians.

“They want to improve, they want to perform, and they want to hear what the judges have to say about their songs,” she said.

Of the 14 West Coast Songwriter chapters, Vallejo is the only one in Solano County. Of the 17 contestants this past Monday, 14 were from outside of the county.

That’s a good sign, said Empress general Kevin Frazier, expecting nothing but growth of the monthly competition crowning a “best song” and “best performance” after each event.

“Hopefully, young songwriters or those who have written all their lives and are sitting on a bunch of songs start coming out and trying their material,” Frazier said. “The whole point is having the cream rise to the top.”

The ornate, 105-year-old, 470-seat venue can be intimidating for a performing newcomer.

No argument there from Karyssa Lynne, a talented 15 year old who gratefully lives but a few blocks from the theater.

“The stage is huge and I’m a little person,” said Lynne, and yes, she was mildly nervous, acknowledging that the theater lights made it challenging.

“I couldn’t see anything,” she said, smiling.

Lynne performed her original song, “Charon,” about one of her favorite Greek mythology characters.

She said she rehearsed it eight times, having written the song “a couple of months ago.”

Frazier believes he’ll be seeing a lot of the local dynamo.

“Beautiful song, beautiful voice,” Frazier said.

While the talented teen’s tune was warmly received, it was another Vallejoan,

Verlannia Manchester, who was judged Best Performance for the month with “Raining.”

“In My Next Life” from Oakland’s Megan McLaughlin won for the month’s best song.

Two other Vallejoans, Kevin Patrick Radley and Lewis Nowosad, also competed. Other participants included: